What We Learned in N.F.L. Week 1

• Aaron Rodgers only needs one leg to win. He was playing through a serious knee injury, his team was down 17 points at the start of the fourth quarter, and the Chicago Bears seemed much-improved on both sides of the ball. But Rodgers got the ball back with 2:39 left to play and the Bears had lost the game even before Rodgers hit Randall Cobb for a 75-yard go-ahead touchdown, they just didn’t know it yet.

• Who needs big-name receivers? Not Tom Brady, who said goodbye to Brandin Cooks and Danny Amendola, and is missing Julian Edelman because of a suspension. No problem. The 41-year-old outdueled Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans, throwing for 277 and three touchdowns. Having Rob Gronkowski stick around helped.

• Sometimes a tie is a win. The Cleveland Browns were 1-31 over the last two seasons with 17 consecutive losses, so a 21-21 overtime tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers represented the first regular season week without a loss since December of 2016. No need to crack open the victory fridges in Cleveland-area bars, but plenty of reason for optimism.

• Sometimes a tie is a loss. Le’Veon Bell’s contract holdout has centered on the running back being irreplaceable. While Ben Roethlisberger’s four turnovers kept the Steelers from winning, James Conner did a perfectly respectable Bell impersonation, generating 192 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. Since Bell can’t negotiate a long-term contract at this point anyway, he may want to return to Pittsburgh just to fend off the second-year up-and-comer. For his part, Bell claimed to have never seen a tie, with a post on Twitter that many perceived as criticism.

• Everyone CAN be happy. There were a series of interconnected moves involving starting quarterbacks this off-season, and in Week 1 it looked like most of the teams involved are happy with their decisions. Kirk Cousins (formerly of Washington now with Minnesota) beat San Francisco; Case Keenum (formerly of Minnesota now with Denver) beat Seattle; Alex Smith (formerly of Kansas City now with Washington) beat Arizona; and Patrick Mahomes (took over for Smith in Kansas City) beat Los Angeles.

• There may be more to making the Cowboys win than putting Zeke next to Dak. Last year the Cowboys were able to excuse their uneven, and ultimately disappointing, season because of Ezekiel Elliott’s legal entanglements and the intense playoff pressure that existed when he got back onto the field. They have no excuses, though, for a disappointing Week 1 loss in which their offense generated just eight points. Dak Prescott fumbling the ball away in the game’s final minutes seemed to sum up the game nicely.

• The protests are not over. Malcolm Jenkins did not raise his fist on Thursday night, but Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson of the Miami Dolphins knelt during the national anthem, drawing praise from Colin Kaepernick. A few players also raised their fists during the anthem even after President Trump tweeted on Sunday morning that the league’s ratings would improve if the protests ended.

Here’s a game-by-game look at what happened in Week 1:

Image

Aaron Rodgers was injured in the second quarter of the Green Bay Packers' game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday. Rodgers returned in the second half.CreditStacy Revere/Getty Images

Rodgers Pulls Off a Miracle at Lambeau Field

At halftime of Green Bay’s season-opener against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Sunday, you could forgive Green Bay Packers fans for thinking their season was over.

Aaron Rodgers, the franchise quarterback who recently signed a record contract with the Packers, was carted to the locker room late in the second quarter with a knee injury. Before he came back early in the third quarter, the Bears took a 20-0 lead thanks in part to a pick-six by their newest player, the linebacker Khalil Mack.

But Rodgers returned to start the second half, limping and strongly favoring his injured left leg, and led the Packers to a historic comeback at home, erasing a 17-point fourth quarter deficit by throwing three touchdowns to win, 24-23. It was the largest fourth-quarter comeback in franchise history and left the Bears stunned in disbelief.

When asked about the injury after the game, which occurred on a sack by Roy Robertson-Harris that buckled his knee, Rodgers said he went through some testing and told the doctor he would be going back into the game. He also said he made a promise to his teammates.

“I told the guys at halftime, if you shut ‘em out, we’re gonna win,” he said.

Rodgers jogged out for the start of the second half, and despite Chicago’s lead having swelled from 10-0 to 20-0 in his absence, the veteran quarterback, whose contract extension included nearly $100 million in guaranteed money, calmly shredded Chicago’s defense on the way to yet another unlikely comeback victory. He threw touchdown passes to Geronimo Allison, Davante Adams and Randall Cobb.

The shocking turn of events helped allay the fears instilled in the Packers faithful by the performance of Mack, the 2016 defensive player of the year, who was picked up by Chicago in a trade with the Oakland Raiders on Sept. 2. Mack, a linebacker acquired with a second-round pick in exchange for two future first-round picks, took full advantage of Rodgers’s injury absence by forcing turnovers on consecutive possessions, one by strip sack and the other by snatching a DeShone Kizer pass out of the air and running it back 27 yards for a touchdown.

But even with Rodgers’ movements clearly limited by the knee injury, he proved far too much for the Bears in the second half. He finished the game having completed 20 of 29 passes for 286 yards and three touchdowns, outdueling Mitchell Trubisky, who passed for 171 yards and ran for 32 as part of a Chicago running attack that generated 139 yards.

Green Bay finished the game having outgained Chicago 301 to 155 in total yards despite the Bears having a nearly seven-minute advantage in time of possession.

With the win, Rodgers improved to 16-4 against Chicago and he will have to hope his knee is in good shape for a difficult game against Kirk Cousins and the Minnesota Vikings next week. When asked by reporters if he’d play next week, Rodgers was quick to answer: “I’m playing next week.”

Carolina Panthers 16, Dallas Cowboys 8

This off-season, the Dallas Cowboys said goodbye to Dez Bryant, Jason Witten and Dan Bailey. The team would likely take all three veterans back after stumbled their way to a 16-8 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Nothing seemed to go right for the Cowboys despite the potent duo of Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott being together free of any legal entanglements or playoff pressure for the first time since the 2016 season.

Elliott had a fairly quiet game for him, with 69 rushing yards and one touchdown, but of far greater concern, Prescott failed to develop much with the passing game, completing 19 of 29 passes for 170 yards in his first game without Witten and Bryant. He had the ball and a chance to tie the game in the last two minutes but fumbled at the tail end of a sack, essentially giving the game away.

Without Bryant and Witten, Cole Beasley was the closest thing Prescott had to a No. 1 option and he finished the game with seven catches for 73 yards. None of the team’s other receiving options made any impact, with Dallas’ lone score coming on Elliott’s 4-yard touchdown run.

Bailey’s departure was probably the least noted of the three veteran players, but his absence was certainly felt in the third quarter when his replacement, Brett Maher, missed a 47-yard attempt. Bailey’s career field goal percentage from 40 to 49 yards is 88.1 percent.

Bryant was fairly active on Twitter during and after the game, having a little fun at his former team’s expense.

While a road loss is not a disaster for Dallas, the Panthers came away with plenty of enthusiasm for their defense and reason to believe that Christian McCaffrey and C.J. Anderson can be a potent backfield going forward; they combined with Cam Newton to lead a rushing attack that generated 150 yards and two touchdowns.

Kansas City Chiefs 38, Los Angeles Chargers 28

The Kansas City Chiefs seemed remarkably confident that replacing Alex Smith, who had gone 50-26 in five years as the team’s starting quarterback, with Patrick Mahomes, who had one career start, was the right decision. After watching Mahomes utilize the Chiefs’ top receiving threat, Tyreek Hill, the team just might have been right.

Mahomes and Hill were a nearly perfect combination in Kansas City’s 38-28 victory over the Los Angeles Chargers. They connected for seven passes on eight attempts, with Hill gaining 169 yards and two touchdowns, including a 58-yarder. Hill also scored the first points of the game on a 91-yard punt return and appears ready to break out into superstardom after a complicated start to his career as a result of a domestic violence incident that dropped him to the fifth round of the 2016 draft.

Overall, Mahomes completed 15 of 27 passes for 256 yard and four touchdowns in a start that was perhaps not as efficient as some of Smith’s best work but was far more electric.

The Chargers, expected to compete with the Chiefs for the A.F.C. West division title this season, got yet another good performance out of Philip Rivers, who threw for 424 yards and three touchdowns, but their two turnovers — both of which were followed by Kansas City touchdowns — along with seven points allowed on special teams, proved fatal.

Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Cleveland Browns 21

The Browns did not lose. That they did not win either seemed almost secondary as Cleveland settled for a 21-21 tie with the Pittsburgh Steelers that was easily the team’s best performance in recent memory.

The overtime thriller — which came courtesy of Tyrod Taylor having solidified the offense and the defense forcing six turnovers — allowed the dramatically-reworked Browns to avoid the franchise’s 18th consecutive regular season loss and improved the team’s record since the start of the 2016 season to 1-31-1. It was the N.F.L.’s first Week 1 tie since 1971.

If the Browns could find something of a win in the tie, Le’Veon Bell of the Steelers could easily be taking the same result as a personal loss, as it could work against him in his contract holdout. Bell, who has contended that he is so valuable to his team that the salary that comes with a franchise tag is insufficient, had to watch as James Conner, a second-year running back out of Pitt, did a fine job in his place, carrying the ball 31 times for 135 yards and two touchdowns, while adding another 57 yards as a receiver.

The Steelers needed every bit of Conner’s productivity in a game in which Ben Roethlisberger was intercepted three times and fumbled once. Pittsburgh couldn’t get the win, despite outgaining the Browns by nearly 150 yards.

Cleveland’s offense may not have been electric, but Taylor, asked to keep the quarterback seat warm for this year’s No. 1 overall pick Baker Mayfield, showed that he could move the ball against a quality opponent as he passed for 197 yards and ran for 77, while committing just one turnover.

Coach Hue Jackson, who has presided over the last two-plus seasons of futility, was not ready to declare victory after a tie.

“Disappointed for our fans,” he told reporters when he was asked how he felt after the game. “Did not want them going home without a victory. I did not want our players to go home without a victory. We were not able to get it done. Did not finish it, but obviously, a tie. A tie.”

The Browns will get another chance at their first win since Week 16 of the 2016 season when they travel to New Orleans to play the Saints next week.

Jacksonville Jaguars 20, New York Giants 15

A technological glitch left the microphones in the news conference room at MetLife Stadium dealing with an echo, and for a few moments, Giants Coach Pat Shurmur was forced to talk over himself.

Glitches were to be expected. The transition to a new coach is not always seamless. Sometimes, there are echoes from the past.

There were some good memories revived: Odell Beckham Jr. streaking across the field with defenders giving chase, Eli Manning connecting on pass after pass and the Giants’ defense strengthening in the second half.

But, more evocative of last season’s 3-13 campaign were the futile performances along the offensive line, crucial turnovers and missed opportunities that marred Shurmur’s debut and led to a 20-15 defeat against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Baltimore Ravens 47, Buffalo Bills 3

Sam Darnold is expected to become the youngest Week 1 starting quarterback in N.F.L. history Monday when the Jets play the Detroit Lions, but he lost his chance to be the first quarterback of the 2018 draft class to get into a game when both Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens and Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills played in Baltimore’s 47-3 victory over the Bills on Sunday.

The game was almost immediately a blowout, with Joe Flacco shredding the Buffalo defense and Nathan Peterman continuing to look lost in his second stint as a starter for the Bills. By the time the score was 40-0 in the Ravens’ favor, both teams had turned to their rookie quarterbacks.

Jackson, the 32nd pick in the draft, had actually entered the game earlier for a few plays in a wildcat formation before also taking over as a passer, while Allen, the seventh pick, came in after Peterman had completed just 5 of 18 passes for 24 yards with two interceptions.

Jackson finished the game having completed 1 of 4 passes for 24 yards and he ran for 39 yards on seven carries. Allen was a bit more effective, completing 6 of 15 passes for 74 yards while picking up 26 yards on the ground.

While there is no quarterback controversy in Baltimore, where Jackson will be utilized as a change-of-pace weapon in place of Flacco on occasion, the Bills did not exactly rule out a permanent change. In postgame interviews, Coach Sean McDermott acknowledged the possibility of benching Peterman, who has two touchdowns and seven interceptions in three career starts.

“I’m going to look at everything,” McDermott said at his news conference. “It’s too early to go one way or another.”

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 48, New Orleans Saints 40

Drew Brees threw for 439 yards and three touchdowns, Alvin Kamara ran for two more scores, and the New Orleans Saints still managed to lose at home. The result would have been shocking regardless of New Orleans’ opponent, but for it to have been Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers walking away with a 48-40 victory seemed to defy all reason.

Fitzpatrick, a 14th-year journeyman from Harvard, finished the game with 417 passing yards, throwing for four touchdowns and running in another, while Justin Evans provided a key score for Tampa Bay with a 34-yard fumble recovery in the second quarter.

“I’m happy to announce: FitzMagic is alive and well,” Tampa Bay’s Coach Dirk Koetter said of his backup quarterback. “Quite a start, huh?”

The victory against a division rival was huge for the Buccaneers who came into the game as 9.5-point underdogs thanks to the absence of Jameis Winston, who is suspended for the first three weeks of the season.

Fitzpatrick is just 48-70-1 in his career as a starter, but this was his eighth career game with four or more passing touchdowns and his second with more than 400 passing yards.

Image

Rob Gronkowski scored the Patriots' first touchdown of the season.CreditMaddie Meyer/Getty Images

New England Patriots 27, Houston Texans 20

Deshaun Watson and J.J. Watt were back, the Patriots were short-handed at wide receiver and Tom Brady just turned 41. It seemed like enough for the Houston Texans to finally get the franchise’s first win on the road against New England.

Alas, Rob Gronkowski was still around, and between the big tight end turning in yet another huge performance, and the Patriots’ defense holding strong against a last-minute comeback attempt from Watson, New England walked away with a 27-20 victory.

Houston was on its heels almost immediately thanks to an early 21-yard touchdown reception by Gronkowski. From there, the New England offense kept pushing, with Brady also finding James White and Phillip Dorsett for first-half touchdown passes as he finished the game having completed 26 of 39 passes for 277 yards.

The absences of Danny Amendola (free agency), Brandin Cooks (trade) and Julian Edelman (suspension) hardly seemed to matter in Brady’s first game since he was outdueled by Nick Foles of the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LII thanks to Gronkowski, who finished the day with seven catches for 123 yards, including a controversial call late in the first half in which he was awarded a reception on a ball he seemed to lose control of, which helped set up Dorsett’s touchdown.

Watson, in his first regular season action since he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a practice last November, started slow but finished the game having completed 17 of 34 passes for 176 yards with one touchdown and one interception, coming up short on a Hail Mary attempt in the game’s final seconds, a play in which Gronkowski had checked in as an extra defensive back.

The second-year quarterback was in no mood to celebrate his improvement as the game went along.

“I think it was terrible, on my part,” Watson told reporters. “I just feel like you can put the `L’ on me.”

Watt’s return on defense for Houston after missing much of last season with a fracture in his leg produced a few hits on the quarterback as he made his presence felt, but Houston’s defense only produced two sacks of the ageless Brady, giving the veteran far too much time to work.

New England will try to follow up its win with a tough test on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars next week while the Texans will travel to Tennessee to face the Titans.

Denver Broncos 27, Seattle Seahawks 24

Von Miller sacked Russell Wilson three times, forced two fumbles and recovered one in helping Case Keenum win his Denver debut Sunday when the Broncos held off the Seattle Seahawks 27-24.

It was the Broncos’ 18th win in their past 19 home openers, and few were more exciting or competitive.

Keenum threw for 329 yards and three touchdowns, but was also intercepted three times.

Wilson threw for 298 yards and three TDs, but was picked off twice and sacked six times.

— AP

Washington Redskins 24, Arizona Cardinals 6

Alex Smith carved up the Arizona defense for 255 yards and two touchdowns, Adrian Peterson rushed for 96 yards and a score and the Washington Redskins spoiled the Cardinals coaching debut of Steve Wilks with a dominant 24-6 victory on Sunday.

Smith and Peterson were playing their first game as Redskins and the two veterans made an impact from the start.

Smith, acquired from Kansas City in the off-season to replace Kirk Cousins, completed 21 of 30 passes without an interception and had TD throws of 13 yards to Chris Thompson and 4 yards to Jordan Reed.

— AP

Minnesota Vikings 24, San Francisco 49ers 16

Kirk Cousins passed for two touchdowns in his much-anticipated Minnesota debut, and the Vikings forced four turnovers to fuel a 24-16 victory over San Francisco on Sunday to stick 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo with his first loss in eight games as an NFL starter.

Cousins connected with Stefon Diggs in the second quarter and Kyle Rudolph in the third quarter for scores, and the defense finished the job with three sacks and three second-half interceptions of Garoppolo. Mike Hughes turned one pick into a 28-yard touchdown return, the first by a rookie in a Vikings season opener.

Garoppolo finished 15 for 33 for 261 yards and a touchdown pass to rookie Dante Pettis. Cousins went 20 for 36 for 244 yards, targeting Adam Thielen 12 times. He caught six passes for 102 yards.

— AP

Cincinnati Bengals 34, Indianapolis Colts 23

Andy Dalton rallied the Cincinnati Bengals with three scores in the final 19 minutes Sunday and Clayton Fejedelem scored on an 83-yard fumble return with 24 seconds to go, giving the Bengals a 34-23 victory at Indianapolis.

Cincinnati snapped an eight-game losing streak in Indy.

The loss spoiled the Colts’ season opener — and the return of Andrew Luck, who made his first start in more than 20 months.

Dalton was 21 of 38 with 243 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Luck looked rusty initially with his first official pass since Jan. 1, 2017, being underthrown to Doyle and picked off by linebacker Preston Brown. But Luck wound up 39 of 53 with 319 yards with two touchdowns.

Cincinnati safety Shawn Williams was ejected in the first quarter after helmet-to-helmet contact with Luck — becoming the first player to be ejected this season.

— AP

Image

Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson of the Miami Dolphins knelt during the playing of the national anthem before their team's game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday.CreditWilfredo Lee/Associated Press

Dolphins Kneel During National Anthem

As Kenny Stills and Albert Wilson of the Miami Dolphins knelt on the sideline for the playing of the national anthem before their game against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday, the N.F.L. officially entered its third season of players protesting to raise awareness of police brutality and societal inequity for people of color.

Demonstrations during the anthem have largely dominated the off-season conversation around the N.F.L., and even before today’s games started, President Trump brought up the issue on Twitter.

Stills, a sixth-year wide receiver out of Oklahoma, has largely assumed the mantle of the protest as the highest-profile active player who continues to kneel in the style started by Colin Kaepernick, then of the San Francisco 49ers, in 2016. Both Kaepernick and his former teammate, Eric Reid, are out of the N.F.L. — and have filed grievances against the league claiming they are being colluded against — which has left Stills and Wilson as the only players to kneel during this year’s preseason.

Kaepernick praised Stills and Wilson on Twitter:

Another member of the Dolphins, Robert Quinn, raised a fist during the playing of the anthem, as did Marquise Goodwin, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, who raised his fist before his team’s game against the Minnesota Vikings.